The David Story: A Translation With Commentary Of 1 And 2 Samuel

Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, "The David Story" is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Alter's translation paints not only the heroic picture of David in his fight with Goliath, but also portrays David as an ambitious, calculating man with a flawed vision.

Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.